contentment
by shizuo darling
Summary: ; collection of moments where Shizuo is at peace, happy, content.
1. Chapter 1

In the center of Ikebukuro, the world is grey; a solitary leaf blows through the wind, looking somewhat lost, confused, out of place between the buildings and buildings, cars and cars — it brushes past Heiwajima Shizuo's face. Its cold surface tickles, and Shizuo ends up sneezing, crinkling his nose and rubbing at it.

Tom looks up at him, then at his watch. "Crap, it's almost 4 – I gotta take care of some stuff, Shizuo, so I'll meet you back here at… 5?"

"Alright, Tom-san!"

Raising a hand as a way of saying, 'see you later', Tom turns and walks away, his shoes clacking against the grey pavement.

Cigarette between his lips, Shizuo stands among the grey crowd, taking a moment to pause and wonder about what could be done in an hour.

 **(** _Could really go for some cake right now…_ **)**

He's heard of a cafe nearby, apparently the cake there is good; certainly wouldn't hurt to try.

The weather's pleasant, a light breeze touching his face. He hears a group of kids whispering about how _cool_ they think his hair is, and as he passes by a florist's and the calming scent of jasmines wafts into the air, he feels a strange sensation that today just might be a good day.

Coming to a stop in front of the cafe, Shizuo pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, crunching it beneath his shoe and stepping inside.

Warm brown colors greet him, he moves and sits at a table, ordering some strawberry shortcake.

 **(** _I should do this more often._ **)**

The interior decoration is calming, Shizuo appreciates the aesthetic, and he pleasingly traces random letters into the smooth surface of the table, being sure not to accidentally scratch into it, of course. When the waitress places the cake in front of him, she smiles and it's contagious – he can't help smiling back, at her, and when she leaves, at the cake.

How long has it been since the world felt so serene? Heiwajima Shizuo does not know, and neither does he ponder about it – he simply enjoys it, not worrying about when this peaceful façade the city of Ikebukuro has put on will end.

Life is short, and he wants to enjoy the little things.

Like eating cake.

* * *

i just want shizuo to be happy and that's literally all this is going to be. no plot twists or angst or izaya, yes. characters like akane, celty, shinra, might occasionally make an appearance but this work focuses on shizuo and his feelings.

at some point in the future i will most definitely run out of ideas, so do feel free to suggest random happy things shizuo would like.


	2. Chapter 2

The three of them are walking in silence across an almost empty street, when suddenly—

"T-Tom-san, Varona, look!"

Tom almost jumps, quickly turning around, "Shizuo, what's—?"

Heiwajima Shizuo, the strongest man in Ikebukuro, clad in his bartender suit and sunglasses with a cigarette hanging between his lips, has literal sparkles of excitement in his eyes and is almost hopping on his feet as he shows Varona his phone.

Staring intently at the screen, Varona squints and says, "It seems to be an application, but I cannot comprehend its purpose at all."

"It's a game, look—"

He then angles it towards Tom, who sees an assortment of kittens, all stuck in a loop of playing with toys and balls of yarn. There's even a restaurant in here, as well as two bowls, filled to the brim with cat food.

"—Look at all the cats, Tom-san!"

"I am, Shizuo, I am." Tom scratches the back of his head as Shizuo takes his phone back, scrolling through the game.

"What sort of entertainment does Shizuo-senpai get from observing cats?"

"They're all having so much fun in my yard, I made all these cats so happy – they have names too, look at all the gifts they gave me!"

As Varona stands on her tiptoes, attempting to figure out how this game works, Tom blinks and realizes this is one of those moments he can't understand what goes on in Heiwajima Shizuo's mind.

But he can tell that Shizuo is ridiculously happy, and that alone is enough to make a large grin spill across his features, a chuckle escaping his lips, "I'm proud of you, Shizuo."


End file.
